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Saffa's Down Under

posted by Gareth White on 4th July 2009

The trials will be held tomorrow, Sunday 5 July, and should kick off at midnight SA time, so if you burning the midnight oil for our boys then follow this link to tune into the webcast.

The Brett Young Memorial Trials webcast.

Riptide forum guru, Doclach, has come up with the goods after bumping into Si and Pik at a local surf store, Emerald Surf City, watching footage of the venue for The Brett Young Memorial Trials, Cronulla Point.

As amped as ever the two were more than keen to share the tale of their travels with Doc.

Follow the links to read the full interview and while you're there why not send some love to our boys "living the dream" in Oz?

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As fate would have it, I was in Emerald Surf the other day and a couple of lads are in there, turns out they're Saffas over here for the SIC trials this weekend. Simon and his mate Jarret have banged together these interviews so we can know a bit more about them.

Please meet Simon Heale:

Doc: Hey Simon, where you from in South Africa and what are your local waters these days?

S.H: Hey Doc, I live in a sleepy lil place called Edgemead, it's in Cape Town, but its not on the coast, bout 20km to my local spot, which is usually Table View/Blouberg side, where all the other boys stay..normally meet up with them there at ungodly hours of the morning and then decide where to go from there.

Doc: What's the maddest roadtrip you've been on?

S.H: Hands Down, this bad boy of a road trip I am currently on ... 3 people, 3 months, Rand vs Aus$, minimal cash, maximum travel and expenses ... Infinite perfect wave and good times possibility ... I'd reckon that's the recipe for success.

Doc: What do you reckon BB needs most at the moment?

S.H: In South Africa, without a doubt, it needs more focused sponsorships and greater media coverage. Media being Magazines, Newspapers, even TV ... we've got guys giving it their all in this respect and pushing bodyboarding shots and articles into newspapers which is too sick!! But I think that once we break into the television media, as you guys seem to have done here in Oz, the industry will finally begin to grow and the money that needs to be invested by the bigger companies will finally come through. I also think that we need a certain "awe" of the top pro rider in our country, but as well as an accessibility to them and the up-and-coming guys being able to see them surf and them surf with the pro's. I've seen it since I've been over here, and it's one of the Key ingredients as to the progression of the sport, its what we need to adopt in S.A.

And the more focused sponsorship is, companies shouldn't exhaust their resources just because they can, even though it seems to grow the sport short term, it kills it in the long run, and that's what we're really going for here isn't it??? Focus on sponsoring a few core riders, then once the sport has stability, branch out and get more people, open more companies, do whatever. We gotta build a stable economy for the sport to grow on, get the foundations right and you can't go wrong when you try to grow!

To read the full interview with Simon please follow this link.

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Please give a big Aussie welcome for Jarret Johnson:

Doc: Hey Jarret where you from in South Africa and what are your local waters these days?

JJ: Hey bro. I'm from a little suburb in Cape Town called, Blouberg. My local, as much as I hate to admit it, is a little beach break that rarely gets good, but if the banks are on, its on. I also surf up our west coast a lot, at this sweet little slab and also a heavy split peak beachie, and in summer I love surfing this right hand wedge a bit south from me.

Doc: What do you love most about the BB culture?

JJ: I really love the way how bodyboarders are so friendly and they always seem to be laughing and having a good time. There never seems to be someone left out with bodyboarders, everyone is friends with everyone and there is always a good laugh to be had and plenty of practical jokes to be seen!

Doc: Scariest moment on the boog?

JJ: Definitely, my scariest moment was in my first week of being in Oz. We were surfing The Box for our first time, and it looked pretty bad from the beach so no one was out besides me and Jerry (Jared Houston). We didn't quite know where the take off was, but after a while we found it. The cross shore winds were a hack because it would blow you out of position with out you knowing. Jerry took a wave and i was left out by myself. I waited for a while but I couldnt see any sign of him. I was searching the inside and completely forgot to look for outside sets, never mind to stay on the take off. I turned around and saw one of the biggest sets of the day start peaking right in front of me, and i realised i was way off the take off. I scratched really hard and just made it under the first one, only to see another one peaking further out. I got really smashed.

For Jarret's full interview follow this link.

While you're online check out their blog This Life Is Ours to check some sick shots of the beasts they've scored and keep up to date with their travels.

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